Steel My Soldiers' Hearts
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About the Book
Steel My Soldiers' Hearts is the story, from D-Day to the armistice, of a Canadian tank man who fought the campaign in Northwest Europe at the sharp end - told from the fighting man's perspective. The armoured war involved the main battles for which WWII was famous: the Normandy landing; the battles to defend the beachhead; the fighting for Caen and Falaise; the pursuit across France and the Low Countries; the "Market Garden" exercise to capture the Rhine bridges at Arnhem; the Siegfried Line penetration and finally the Rhine crossing before the march deep into Germany. Stewart's personal war also involved the loss of three tanks and many gallant comrades. To accomplish their feats, the author and his colleagues had to "steel their hearts" indeed.
This book contains comments (in separate chapters) which could have been made by officers in their messes, postulated via the author's knowledge of the history of WWII. However, since the author was not an officer during the war, these chapters are pure fancy, and this is why the work is called a novel - not an autobiography. The stories are exactly as Stewart experienced them, and the names are of people, many still alive, that were with the author.
About the Author
Neil J. Stewart, B.A., LLB, served as a tank crew member and later as a crew commander with the Canadian Army through the Northwestern European campaign. Travelling overseas in mid-war as a reinforcement after reaching military age, he was just in time for the training for the assault on Normandy. This story of Kenneth MacLean is based upon the author's experiences and recollections of the campaign. The nom de gurre of the central figure of the story, Kenneth MacLean, is for personal reasons.
This story, from D-Day to the armistice, tells of the life of a Canadian tankman who saw the brutal campaign at the sharp end - from the fighting man's perspective. From that vantage point, they had to steel their hearts indeed.
Also by Neil J. Stewart:
Tales of a Tankman: Between the Battles